Pneumatic control means for glass severing mechanism



W. T. HONISS May 18, 1954 PNEUMATIC CONTROL MEANS FOR GLASS SEVERING MECHANISM Filed March 27, 1953 Patented May 18, 1954 'PNEUMATIC CONTROL MEANS FOR GLASS SEVERING MECHANISM William T. Honiss, West Hartford, Conn., assignor to Emhart Manufacturing Company, Hartford,

Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application March 27, 1953, Serial No. 345,191

9 Claims.

This application is a continuation in part or' my co-pending application,` Serial No. 237,342, iiledJuly 18, 1951, for an improvement in severing mechanism for cutting molten glass,

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 237,342,v I disclose a glass severing mechanism comprising shear blades carried by pivoted shear arms and a fluid pressure actuated motor operatively connected to the shear arms to eiect closing of the shear `blades at about the middle of each stroke of the motor piston and opening of the shear blades during the remainder or such stroke. The present application is being led to ,disclose and claim novel pneumatic control means operatively associated with the air motor so as to assure periodic cutting strokes of the shear blades at uniform time intervals during normal operation of the mechanism, substantially as disclosed in my foresaid application, Serial No. 237,342, and, in addition, manually operable means combined therewith to reverse the direction of travel of the shear blades should their normal operating movements be halted before completion for any reason.

A practical embodiment of the invention of the present application is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

. I Fig. 1 is a View, mainly in plan but with. parts shown in section, of a somewhat schematic arrangement of timing and pneumatic control means including manually operable emergency reversing mechanism of the present invention operatively connected with the air motor of a shearmechanism of the-character described; and

Fig.` 2 is a diagram showing sequence` and tim :fv

ing of `the operations of the valves` of the fluid pressure supply and exhaust system for two successivestrokes of the motor piston `and successive regularly timed shear cuts. e l

Generally described, the improved shear mechanism comprises a pair of shear arms I` and 2, respectively, the free ends of which carry cooperative shear blades 3 and 4, respectively, as best seen in Fig. .1; The shear arms I and 2 arepivotally` supported adjacent to their ends opposite the bladesy for swinging movements 4about the axes of vertical spindles 5 and 6, re-

spectively. These are mounted in tubularholders 'I and 8, respectively, `carried by abracket 9, projecting from onefend of a cylinder I0, which formspart of an `air motor generally designated I'I for operating the shear arms.

The sheararms I and 2A are provided adjacent to' their pivotally supported ends with outturned arms orknuckles I2` andi I I 3,. respectively, opera- 2 tively connected by adjustable coupling mechanisms indicated at I4 and I5, respectively, with links I6 and I'I, respectively, extending to and operatively mounted at their rearward ends on upright crank pins i8 and I9, respectively, on horizontal crank arms 20 and 2l, respectively, carried by the upper ends of Vertical crank shafts 22 and 23, respectively. These crank shafts are housed in opposite lateral wing portions 2l and 25, respectively, of an intermediate transmission housing 26 which is located between and operatively connects the front motor cylinder IG with a similar rear motor cylinder 21.

The crank shafts 22 and 23 carry pinions 2'8 and 29, respectively, in mesh with rack bars 39 and 3 i, respectively, carried on the opposite sides of a horizontal piston rod 32 which extends through the transmission housing into the cylinders i6 and 2l' and is rigidly joined at its opposit-e ends toa piston 33 in the cylinder I@ and a piston 34 in the cylinder 2l, respectively. The rack bars may be integral portions of the piston rod or formed separately and fixed thereto in any suitable known manner.

The shear mechanism is suspended adjacent to its rearward end, which is remote from the shear blades, from the bottomv of a forehearth (not shown) by a suspension mechanism indicated in Fig. 1 by the fragmentary lower portions of a pair of suspending bars 35; Co-operative with this rear suspension mechanism is a front suspension mechanism which is fastened to the bottom ofr the forehearth and in Fig. l is represented bythe fragmentary lower end portion of a vertical suspension stud indicated at 3B. This stud depends through a slot 39 in the bracket 9 and carries a supporting element 4I located beneath the bracket and on which the slotted portion of the bracket rests. The details of suspension means for supporting the shear mechanism from the bottom of a feeder forehearth soV that the blades will be located as desired in relation to a glass discharge outlet of a feeder are illustrated and described in my foresad application, Serial No. 237,342, and will not be further disclosed herein.

In a practical set-up, the shear mechanism will be positioned so that its blades close at a downward extension of the axial or center line-cf the glass discharge outlet of the feeder and at a predetermined distance below that outlet.

|The air motor II is operated by admitting' air under` pressure. to the remote or distal endsof the cylinders I0 and 21 and has a combination air intake and exhaust conduitconnect'ed therewith as I06 has a rigid stem chamber |04 and through an opening |08 in the Vright hand end Wall of the valve casing so as to ae'rati 3 is conventional, such conduits being elements of a pressure air supply and exhaust system which presently will be described.

It will be apparent that the connected pistons 33 and 34 together comprise the piston of the air motor and that each stroke of the motor piston will cause swinging movements of the shear arms from their opened positions, indicated by dotand-dash lines shown in Fig. 1, to their closed positions as shown by the full lines, at which the shear blades are closed for a glass cutting action. Closing of the shear blades will take place when the air motor piston is at about its mid-stroke, giving the blades a maximum cutting Ipower and a motion that is smooth and continuous, even during reversal which is effected by the remainder of the stroke of the air motor piston.

The shear blades 3 and li have V-shaped cutting edges which sweep evenly across each other during their closing movements in normal operation. If for any reason these blades are prevented from closing to complete their cutting strokes, as by the presence of a large stone or hard object in the molten glass to be cut or by mechanical interference of one blade edge with the other or jam-ming or relatively movable parts, quick retraction of the shear blades then becomes imfp'erative if damage to movable parts or piling up of glass issuing from the feeder outlet is to be v:minimized and avoided. A manually operable rmeans-foruse in such an emergency to reverse the travel of the blades is a feature of the timing and pneumatic control means offtheV instant application.

Referring now to the timing and pneumatic control means shown in the lower portion oi Fig. 1,V a timing valve has an intake chamber I 02 receiving air under pressure, as at a maximum line pressure of 30 lbs. Aper sq. inch, from a supply pipe |03. An outlet chamber |0l in valve |0| may receive air from chamber |02 through a connecting port |05 when a spring pressed valve 505 is moved to the left from its normally closed, seated position in port |05 as shown in Fig. 1. Valve |07 extending through project therefrom to a position in working relation to the periphery o-f a shear cut timing cam |09 which is fast on a shaft H0. The shaft |50 may be the usual feeder cam shaft of a conven- .tional glass feeder or it may be a separate shaft geared to the feeder cam shaft by suitable known ,means not shown, to rotate in unison with and at the same speed as the feeder cam shaft. The .cam |03 has a high peripheral portion or rise vI0id which will engage with and bias the end of valve stern |01 to the left in Fig. 1 so as to move valve |06 from its seat and maintain the valve IDI open while shaft I0 is rotating through lpart of a com-plete revolution, as through 45.

When valve |0| is open, air under pressure will pass through chamber |04 to valve outlet pipe ,III having a terminal branch pipe |||a, delivering air to an air intake chamber ||2 formed in a block I|3. Outfiow of air from chamber II2 is through one or the other of two similar switching valves ||4 and H5, respectively, provided in block ||3. Each of these switching valves comprises a spring pressedvalve element H3 or lI'I `normally seated in the inner end IIE or H0 of a passage |20 or I2|v extending in the bloot: ||3 from a wall of the chamber I |2 to the exterior of dthe block. A rigid stem |22 or |23 on the valve ||4 or ||5 extends through the passage |20'and I2| so as to project beyond the outer end of that passage where it is enlarged as indicated at |24 or |25 to close the outer end of its passage |20 or 32| when its connected switching valve element is in raised or open position as shown for valve element The stems |22 and 23 are uted or otherwise fori'ned where they extend through the passages |20 and I2 I, respectively, to provide longitudinal air passages as indicated at |23 and I2'|, respectively, between themselves and the walls of such passages. Air under pressure from the intake chamber may flow to passage |20 or I2i and thence to a lateral passage |28 or |23, extending through one or the other of opposite ends of the block ||3 when valve element IIB or I Il has been opened. At the same time, exhaust of return air to the atmosphere may be effected through the other lateral passage |29 or |28 and the communicating passage |21 or |23, one of the exhaust control elements |25 or |24 then being open. It will be understood that in service the valve elements H6 and |I'| are opened alternately, thereby closing exhaust valve control elements |25 and |24, respectively, connected therewith.

The lateral passage |28 is connected by a pipe |32 to a pipe connection or nipple 200 of a four Way valve generally indicated 20|. This Valve may :be of any suitable known structure. As shown, it includes a rotary cylindrical plug 202 fitting in a cylindrical central valve bore 203 with which the bores of pipe connection or nipple 200 and three additional pipe connections or nipples 20F., 205 and 206, respectively, communicate at places spaced uniformly around its wall and hence apart. The rotary valve plug 202 is formed at opposite sides of its center line with a pair of transversally extending substantially right angular, through passages '201 and 208, respectively, lying in the plane of the pipe connections 200, 204, 205 and 206. Each of these through passages opens at its opposite ends through the peripheral wall of the plug at places 90 apart and hence in register with the inner ends of the bores of two adjacent pipe connections or nipples of the four-way valve when the plug is in an appropriate angula-rly turned position in the valve casing. The valve Iplug may beprovided with a handle 209 which can be conveniently grasped and turned by hand to turn the plug about its axis to or between angularly `adjusted positions appropriate for the action desired.

As shown by the full lines in Fig. 1, the handle 209 is at the position appropriate for normal operation of the shear mechanism. Air under pressure supplied by pipe V|32 to valve connection 200 then may pass through the passage 20T in valve plug and pipe connection 204 to a pipe |32a connecting the latter to the front end of the iront cylinder I0 of the air motor I|. A pipe |34 connects the lateral passage |29 of the switching valve assembly with the pipe connection or nipple 205 of the four-way valve. Nipple 205 communicates through passage 208 in the valve plug with the pipe connection or nipple 233 and the latter is operatively connected by a pipe |340, with the rearward end of rear cylinder 21 of the air motor.

The switching valves are opened alternately by cams |31 and |38, respectively, on a cam shaft |39 having a driven connection at |40 with the cam shaft I|0 so as to be driven at half the speed of the latter. The cams |31 and |38 have lobes or high portions |3'Ia and |38a, respectively, which are adapted to engage withthe projectupwardly as Vviewed in Fig. 1.

Vthe positionsof `the switching valves. 4vthe rear cylinder `of the air nio-tor will be connected to exhaust and the front cylinder will be `.the shears. cylinder-by closing .of the timing valve lill.

At on the inner circle a revolutionof the 4"ing-.waive exhaust .control `elements .|24 and |25, '.respectively, so as to bias the valve assemblies hand switching valve is being held open by its 1.10am |33 while camv |3'| is in position to permit exhaust through theexnaust outlet of the closed `Eleft hand switching valve.

The Aoperation of the air supply `and exhaust 'system so as to obtain successive shear cuts at =exactly the same time interval apart will lhe `understood by reference to the chart in which an outer circle 4| represents two successive com- `plete `revolutions of the timing valve cam shaft H0 during which a single `revolution of the cam shaft |39 for the switching valves, indicated `by the inner circle |42, and two successive strokes of *the -air motor piston--a forward stroke and a 'return rearward stroke--will be effected. At po- "sitions `indicated at 0-il on the circles of the chart, the timing `valve itl is closed, the valve element |15 of the iront cylinder switching valve -islclosed and its exhaust control element |24 is openfandvalve element A| of the rear cylinder However, air under pres- J222%? on outer circle |.4|. This is just after the stage indicated by the positions -oi the parts in Fig. 1.

lOpening of the timing valve |il| thus will cause aforward powerstroke of the air motor piston f and the shear cutwill occur at about the inidtstroke, indicated at 271/2 on the outer circle of the chart. this forward `power stroke will be `eected by Cushioning of the -inal portion of compression of atmospheric air pressure remain- Ji-ngin the front cylinder which is still connected to exhaust. At 671/2o the timing valve is closed.

At 180 on theinner circle, the camshaft |39 "for the switching valves will have completed half a lrevolution `and the cams .thereon will reverse `connected for flow of air thereto when the tim- `i11g..va'lve Alill next is tripped. The timing valve cam shaft will have completed one revolution. i At 22%" of the next revolution, it will be opened -Iand air will be supplied to the `front cylinder to `drive the air motor piston on its rearward power stroke. The shear cut willloccur at 271/2 in the outer circle when about half ofthe rearward power stroke will have been completed. The remainder of such stroke will of course Aopen The air will be cut off from the front cam shaft |39 for the switching valves will Vbe ncompleted Aand the switching valves will again be reversed. The sequence of events just described will .then be repeated. There will tbe exactly the same time interval between each two successive shear cuts.` This `would be difcult or `impossible to assure, at least for continued serv- `ice of substantial duration, were the instants of successive shearucuts determined by the .operation of two `different `timing cams .instead ofby That lis,

a single timing cam and co-operative switching `valve cams as just described.

`completing their cutting movements .by either of the `aforesaid or any other reason. The air supply and control mechanism of the assembly shown in Fig. 1 includes parts which may be `operated 4manually to .accomplish this desirable result, as now will be explained.

The handle 209 of the four-way valve may be swung to the left from the position sho-wn "by full lines and designated normal to the reversing position so indicated in Fig. 1. This Vwill reverse the air connections through the four-way valve from the switching valves to the air motor front and rear cylinders, respectively. This `will tend to retract the shear blades from the positions at which they were halted before .completion or a. cutting stroke. Additional pressure beyond that supplied by a switching valve maybe needed or desirable should the shear blades be jammed and also to assure instant starting back the air motor piston when the handle of `the four-way valve is turned to reversing position,

' irrespective of the action of timing lvalve i0! at that time.

To this end, an air supply line il I b connects the outlet 22B of a normally closed auxiliary air valve 2|! with the air supply pipe which periodically delivers air under a maximum pressure of 30 lbs. per sq. inch to the air intake charnber H2 of the switching valves. The valve 2|| has an inlet 2i2 with which a. pipe 253 is connected, Pipe 2 I 3 delivers air at a pressure which may be unregulated but is higher than 30 lbs. per so. inch to valve 3| i. When the handle .269 is turned to the reversing position, shown in Fig. l, a cam projection 2M is turned therewith against a pivoted lever 2i@ on the valve 2H. Lever 2 i 5 bears against the cuter end of Vnormally projected stem 2id oi spring-pressed .valve member 2|?. The cam projection 2id, in moving' .to the left in Fig. l from its inactive to its kactive posi-tion, will bias the lever 235 and valvelstern 2|6 inwardly so as to force valve member` 2H from its seat ii against the pressure of spring l. This will permit the high pressure air from the pipe 2id to pass through the valve Eil and connecting pipes to the chamber ||2 `of the switching valves. Operating air under pressure will be supplied throngthe open switching Valve to the air motor to effect instant reversal of .the latter and retraction of the sheariblades.

It' may be desirable to retain the .shear arms and blades in their open retracted positions after an emergency manually effected reversing operation as just described. The interruption-of normal cyclic cutting operations by the shears may have been attended by piling up of excess glass that has been discharged from the feeder outlet or damage to the blades or connected parts. Such excess glass must be cleared away and any damaged `parts repaired or replace-d. The handle 25h? therefore may be returned from the 'ireversing position only half way to the. normalpo sition, this being vthe position indicated by the legend holding The four-pay valve 201 then will be closed to low of air therethrough to or from the air motor and the operations of the shears will be stopped with the shear blades retracted without any need to stop the operations Vof the feeder operating parts or of the timing and switching valves of the mechanism for timing the periodic shear cuts when resumption thereof is desired. The auxiliary air valve 2H will be closed.v When the shears are to be restored to operation, the handle 209 will be turned to the normal position thereof.

It will be noted that with the construction shown, the shears would operate with the handle 209 in the reversing position but that the reciprocations of the air motor piston would be `determined by the switching valves which would be supplied with air constantly from the auxiliary air valve 2H as well as periodically from Vthe timing valve iti.

' Many changes in and modifications of the details of the illustrative embodiment of the invention will now be obvious or readily occur to those skilled in the art and I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to such details.

I claim:

1. In glass severing mechanism comprising a pair of shear blades, a pair of pivoted arms supporting said shear blades for swinging movements toward each other to close Said blades and away from each other to open said blades, a iiuid pressure motor comprising a cylinder and a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, and motion transmitting connections between said piston and said pivoted arms operable on reciprocation of said piston to close said shear blades at approximately the mid-stroke of the piston in either direction Vin the cylinder and to open said shear blades during continued movement of the piston in the same direction, the combination with said motor of means to reciprocate said piston in the cylinder comprising a normally closed fluid pressure timing valve having an inlet connection with a constant source of iluid pressure and having an outlet, a pair of normally closed fluid pressure switching valves having inlets operatively connected to the outlet of said timing valve and having outlets, respectively operatively connected to the opposite ends of the motor cylinder, means to actuate said switching Valves to open and hold them open alternately for a predetermined period and then permit them to close, all in cyclic order so that each switching valve is open when the other is closed and vice versa, and means to actuate said timing valve to open it periodically with regular frequency at times respectively occurring during successive alternating open periods of the switching valves and to close it after each opening thereof prior to the closing of the then open switching valve.

- 2. The combination defined by claim l wherein said means to actuate the timing valve comprises a rotary cam shart having a single cam lobe nxed thereon in position to open the timing cam shaft and wherein said means to actuate said switching valves comprises a second rotary cam shaft connected with said rst cam shaft to be driven at half the speed of the latter, and a pair of oppositely disposed cam lobes iixed thereon so as to be 180 out of phase with each other and so related in phase to the cam lobe on the nrst cam shaft that each opening or the timing valve by the latter will occur Vduring opening of the timing valve by the latter will occur during opening of one or the other of said switching valves.v

3. The combination defined by claim 1 wherein each of said switching valves has an exhaust outlet open for exhaust oi pressure huid from the connected end of the motor cylinder when the switching valve is closed and closed to prevent such exhaust when the switching valve is open for passage of pressure fluid therethrough to the motor cylinder.

4. In glass severing mechanism comprising a pair of shear blades, a pair of pivoted arms supporting said shear blades for swinging move,- ments toward each other to close said blades, and away from each other to open said blades, a fluid pressure motor comprising a cylinder and a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, and gearing and linkage between said piston and said pivoted arms operable on reciprocation of said piston to close said shear blades at approximately the mid-stroke of said piston and to open said shear blades during the continued movement of the piston in the same direction, the combination with said motor of a pair of combination pressure fluid supply and exhaust switching valves, respectively operatively connected to opposite ends of said cylinder, means to operate said switching valves to open them alternately to permit passage or" pressure fluid therethrough to the connected ends of the cylinder and after i a predetermined period of time, to close each against passage of pressure fluid therethrough to the cylinder and simultaneously to open it for exhaust therethroughfof pressure iiuid from the connected end of the cylinder, a timing valve operatively connecting a source of fluid pressure with both said switching valves, means to operate said timing valve to open and close it in cyclic order and means to co-ordinate the operations of the means to operate the timing 'valve and the means to operate the switching valves so that the instants of successive openings of the timing valve will occur at regular intervals and each at a time when one of the switching Valves has been opened to permit passage of pressure Iiuid therethrough to one end of the cylinder and the other switching valve has been opened for exhaust of pressure fluid from the opposite end of the cylinder and the closing of the timing valve after each opening thereof will occur before closing of the switching valve that is then open for passage of pressure fluid therethrough to an end of the cylinder.

5. The combination deiined by claim 4 wherein the operative connection between said switching Valves and the opposite ends of said cylinder includes a manually operable reversing valve.

6. IThe combination dened by claim ,4 wherein the operative connection between said switching valves and the opposite ends of said cylinder includes a four-way reversing valve manually operable to reverse the pressure fluid and exhaust connections between the individual switching valves and the respective opposite ends of vsaid cylinder and further operable manually to valve once during each complete rotation of said shut off all ow of fluid therethrough.

7. The combination dened by claim 4 wherein the operative connection between said switching valves and the opposite ends of said cylinder includes a manually operable reversing valve, and, in addition, a normally closed auxiliary air pressure supply valve having an operative connection with both said switching valves, and means providing an operative connection between said reversing valve and said auxiliary air supply valve to open the latter when the reversing valve is operated.

8. The combination dened by claim '7 wherein said operative connection between the reversing valve and the auxiliary air supply valve comprises a cam connected with the reversing valve to be given a bodily movement when the reversing valve is operated and movable means connected with the auxiliary air supply valve and located in the path of said movement of said cam 20 10 so as to be actuated by the latter 'to open the auxiliary air supply valve.

9. The combination defined by claim 4 wherein the operative connection between said switching valves and the opposite ends of said cylinder includes a four-Way reversing valve having an operating handle turnable from a normal operating position to a reversing position, a normally closed auxiliary supply valve adjacent to the four-way valve and connected to the switching valves to supply air under pressure thereto, and a cam movable with said handle so as to open the auxiliary air supply valve when the handle is moved to its said reversing position.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

